Newsmax magazine, the beacon of modern thought, and progressive intellect, in its wisdom has labeled Sarah Palin as a Leader of the "Newer Feminism". As a woman, a wife of 25 years and mother to three children, I never wanted a sex change operation until now. Newsmax identified Palin as an "icon of the new feminism." If she represents feminism, I don't want to be associated with that group. Obviously the Newsmax headline was not written by a woman. This impression was confirmed upon a little investigation into the make up of the Newsmax team. Out of 11 Newsmax editors, none are women. The editors at Newsmax must have failed to notice that in the election of 2008, the majority of the voters for Barack Obama were women. Eight million more women than men voted for Obama. Just because Palin is a woman, it doesn't necessarily follow that she was the woman's candidate. Maybe I don't need a sex change operation after all. I know Sarah wrote a letter to herself, from "Trig's Creator", and it clarified so much for her. Maybe if I write a letter to Sarah from the "Creator" of women it might clarify some issues for her. If I send a copy to Newsmax, perhaps they will understand that women have advocated for a decade that gender should not be the reason for our votes, a promotion or the amount of money paid to someone. Sarah understands that God doesn't make mistakes, and neither did the 35,900,000 women who voted for Barack Obama.
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Dear Sarah:
I know you have been busy lately, so understand that I am trying to help you realize your place in the American society. You serve a very valuable purpose, which is to remind men and women around the country of the type of woman that most women find embarrassing and humiliating. For decades we have listened to dumb blond jokes, but these jokes are old and frankly, not very funny. You have single-handedly created job security for Tina Fey for the foreseeable future (that means as long as we can imagine). Issues that are the most important to anyone who considers herself to be a feminist would necessarily include:
FAIR PAY - You explained in the 2008 campaign that you were opposed to women being paid the same as a man, if she was working the same job, and performing that job as well, or better, than her male counterpart (that means the male worker) as indicated by your opposition to the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Women have been fighting for equal treatment in the workplace for over 100 years. When you said you were supported the Supreme Court's decision in the Ledbetter case, where the Court found that Ms. Ledbetter was not entitled to sue her employer of over 20 years for intentionally discriminating against her, you didn't look like a feminist, or even a person with two x chromosomes. Your only reason for supporting disparate pay for men and women (that means women are paid less than men for the same job) was that attorneys might make money off of their representation of women who had been treated unfairly. Frankly Sarah, this position would have been enough to end your career as a politician, but I guess you knew that when you resigned. You were smart enough to know that your career as a politician was over. You knew that "no" you would not seek higher office, or you would have finished out your term as Governor (Palin 381).
Since you resigned you position as Governor you have realized a windfall of $12,000,000.00. This was my gift Sarah to you so that you would leave women alone. Don't let anyone say that you represent the majority of women. It's now time to show me that you appreciate all the money I bestowed upon you. Don't let anyone else say that you are a representative of feminism.
REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM - Sarah, I know that previously you have said that you were "pro-life". Let me explain something to you. Sometimes, protecting life, means allowing a woman to make the best choice for her. You can't always know what the circumstances might be in that woman's life. For example, when a woman is pregnant with twins, and one baby is determined to have abnormalities that would prevent him from living outside the womb, and that baby is preventing the healthy twin from developing normally, an abortion may be necessary to save the life of the healthy twin. If a woman has been raped, and can't live with the idea of carrying, giving birth and raising the child of the evil perpetrator who raped her (that means the rapist), she might consider taking her own life. Certainly she is the only one to appreciate the importance of protecting her own life, and an abortion might save her life. I know you are not in favor of allowing a woman to choose, even in the case of incest. However many girls who are the victims of incest are children and it would be dangerous for them to become pregnant at such a young age. If their reproductive organs are so damaged by having a child at such a young age, they may not be able to have children later in life. I know you have five children, but some women might want to have just one, at the right time, and victims of incest might not have that option when adults, if you prevent them from having a choice when they are children. Thirty-seven years ago the United States Supreme Court recognized that it was a woman's "fundamental right under the United States Constitution" to terminate or continue a pregnancy in the first trimester of a pregnancy. The Court explained in 1973 that this decision is one that "should be made between doctor and patient, not legislated by the government." Roe v Wade 410 U.S. 113(1973). This is still the law. You are not a doctor and you are not part of the government, so it is not your "choice".
At the time of Roe, the Court was comprised totally of men, and only two Justices dissented. Until the decision in Roe, women who wanted an abortion had dangerous, illegal abortions or traveled to one of four states in the entire country where the procedure was legal. Thus women who were pregnant and had money could afford to travel to have such a procedure performed, but women of limited financial means would seek dangerous procedures, performed by someone other than a medical doctor. Many women lost their lives. I know you now have plenty of money, but consider the woman who can't afford groceries for herself, or her children, and may be feeling desperate. The people you support help that woman "choose life" but they don't help provide any financial support for that woman or child afterwards. They don't even want to pay for health care for the child.
Ninety five percent of people in the United States have had pre-marital sex. Given these high percentages, I am not condemning you for not abstaining before marriage, and I am not condemning Bristol for saying that abstinence is "not realistic". You might learn from my example, and stop condemning others.
EDUCATION - Sixty percent of all bachelor's degrees and half of all PhD's are earned by women ("A Woman's Nation Changes Everything"). In 1963 the "most generally approved role for women" was homemaking. Over 50 years later, in 2009 half of all families in this great country, where people love their freedom, have come to rely upon the earnings of two parents (Ibid). In 40% of families women are the primary breadwinners (Ibid). I know you won the Miss Wasilla beauty pageant, and obviously education was not important for you. Maybe it also was not important for Todd. However, for most women education is extremely important. Education is the key that unlocks a life of dependence for women. Without education a woman may become dependant upon a man or her family indefinitely, as you have seen with Bristol. If a woman becomes dependant, she and her children may become unable to remove themselves from an abusive relationship with a husband or parents. Even if education has not been important to you, it is to most feminists.
MOTHERING - From the moment you paraded Trig before the Republican Convention holding him as a prop; it seems that you have forgotten that I didn't want people to focus on the fact that Trig has an extra chromosome (Palin 186). Did you think I gave Trig to you just so you could take advantage of the sympathies of other people? You have dragged Trig to book signing events barefooted and in his pajamas, when you were warm in your coat and hat. I heard the despair in Bristol's voice when she called you explaining that it was bad enough that Wasilla knew of the pregnancy, but now the "whole world knows" (Palin 234). John warned you it would be hard on your family, but you didn't seem to care (Palin 220). You have taken Piper out of school multiple times, even to the beach in Hawaii, when school was in session. The worst thing was your flagrant disregard for the health and well being of Trig. When you knew you were in labor with your fifth child, your water had broken over 12 hours before, and the flight back to Alaska would be at least 10 hours, how could you board(not a board made of wood) a plane in Texas, taking the chance that Trig would be born during the flight. Even if the flight attendants and the people in the airport lounge didn't know you were in labor, I knew.
Studies have shown that even though women are professionals and are as educated as our male counterparts, (meaning men in the same roles) women are more willing to "downgrade" their careers to enable them to spend more time with their kids ("A Woman's Nation Changes Everything"). Many women define success as living a balanced life, not necessarily making the most money (Ibid). Sarah, honey, it would be o.k. if you didn't want to have children, and devote yourself to making money. It would be o.k. to be a stay at home mom and have five children, and devote yourself to the kids. It is NOT part of my plan for you to have five children, one of whom has special needs and to utterly fail to meet the needs of any of your children.
Love,
Trig's Creator, You Heavenly Father (Palin 187)
I think I will send this letter to Newsmax by overnight delivery. It will be cheaper and more expeditious than having a sex-change operation.